


I Love You

by ProblemWithTrouble



Series: Pacific Rim [20]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, dumbasses in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 12:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20291359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblemWithTrouble/pseuds/ProblemWithTrouble
Summary: “Holy shit, I love you,” Newt said like a breath, escaping him without any conscious thought.From the way Hermann’s eyes went wide he had not been expecting that particular response. They weren’t even really dating.





	I Love You

Hermann was shouting at Newt again. Well, they were arguing and it was Hermann’s turn to yell. Hermann was upset about the smell from Newt’s most recent experiment and Newt was annoyed that Hermann was complaining so loudly. Hermann was waving his hands around while also shouting, his sentences were starting to sound like someone had broken out a thesaurus for every other word, the same way they always did when he got upset. And his accent was getting thicker and slipping from just British to let some Baviarian into the mix. Newt realized in the moment that he hoped he got to hear that change for the rest of his life. 

“Holy shit, I love you,” Newt said like a breath, escaping him without any conscious thought. 

From the way Hermann’s eyes went wide he had not been expecting that particular response. They weren’t even really dating; not seriously. They had both agreed that they had more important things to do than plan dates and remember anniversaries. Instead they kissed, and held hands, and shared a bed in both a sexy and sleepy way. 

For a second Hermann’s jaw worked as he tried to figure out something to say. Newt could feel the hot blush spreading and he was pretty sure that a cold sweat had actually broken out on the back of his neck. He was about two seconds from pulling a full Mr. Sheffield and taking it back when Hermann spoke. “That does not change the fact that you need to use proper ventilation when running your experiments.” His face was red and he turned away as soon as he finished talking. 

Even as his heart sank Newt was a little relieved that Hermann hadn’t said it back. Newt liked what they had, and if only one of them messed up and rekindled feelings that were better left in 2016 then maybe they could move past it. Yeah, he wanted Hermann to love him back but did they really have time for all that? At least he hadn’t broken things off or laughed in Newt’s face.

He forced himself to look back down at the kaiju bits he was testing chemicals burning on instead of watching Hermann. He’d said his piece and Hermann had answered with more reprimands. If Newt wanted them to be normal then he needed to accept it when it happened. 

Time passed in the relative silence of the radio and chalk and it was almost an hour when Hermann spoke. “I do too.”

“Hm?” Newt asked, coming out of his work focus to look up at Hermann who was standing at the bottom of his ladder facing Newt. 

“I love you too,” Hermann said, smiling with obvious nerves. 

“Oh. What do we do now?” Newt asked, stepping away from his workbench towards Hermann. 

“Continue as we are, I suppose?” Hermann shrugged one shoulder. “Does it really change that much?”

“Uh, yeah,” Newt shouted, his voice going a little scratchy at the high volume. “Last week when I told Tendo I had a ‘thing’ with someone you thought I was talking about someone else. From that to ‘I love you’ is a jump, dude.” 

“I loved you last week too,” Hermann said.

“You did?”

Hermann shook his head but he was also fighting off a smile. “These things aren’t instantaneous, Newton. Some of us are capable of coming to terms with our feelings before we blurt them out in the middle of an argument.”

Newt rubbed at the back of his neck which was getting hot again. Now that he knew Hermann loved him back there was nothing more he wanted than a full fledged relationship with flowers and chocolates and midnight serenades. But Newt was still Newt and even before the world started to fall apart he hadn’t been the best at relationships. “Herms, it changes stuff and if we change I’ll fuck it up.”

Hermann sighed. “If you want to pretend that this conversation never happened I will oblige but you’re blowing this out of proportion.” 

“I am not! This changes everything. Like, am I just supposed to be okay with casual when we love each other?” Newt asked. He sounded like he was accusing Hermann of something, even if he didn’t know what. 

“This is your choice, Newton. I am not forcing you to be okay with anything  
Hermann sighed. “I won’t pressure you into this, Newton, but you said your piece and I thought I should tell you as well.” They had been drifting closer to each other but there was still ten feet between them and it felt like too large of a gap for the type of conversation they were having. “Nothing has to change. Or we can stop if that would make you more comfortable.” Hermann gave him a brief smile that he probably hoped Newt would pretend didn't look half as heartbroken as it did. 

Newt took a step forward, reaching for Hermann without thinking. He didn’t want that. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Then what do you want because you’re talking in circles, Newton,” Hermann snapped at him.

“I don’t know! What we have is good and there’s no pressure. I can barely remember my own birthday, Herms, how am I supposed to remember to do something for yours too? And anniversaries? And all the other stuff people in relationships do! I’ll mess it up and then you’ll be mad at me and we’ll be right back where we were after we met.”

“Are you under some impression that I won’t mess it up? We both will, Newton. And then we’ll talk about it. Or shout. A lack of communication hasn't been our issue as of late,” Hermann said with a small laugh. It was true. When they had been writing they didn’t talk much outside of it. As soon as they were in the same room, neither of them could seem to shut up, even if half the time it was arguing. It didn’t seem likely that they’d ever be able to have the same radio silence that had bred so much of the animosity that they had both held. 

Newt was quiet for a while while he thought it over. Hermann made a good case and Newt wanted so badly. Maybe they could try. “I guess I could put reminders in my phone for the big stuff.”

Hermann took the final step forward between them and took Newton’s hand. “I love you. And I have to tell you that you remember my birthday more often than I do. I didn’t even remember my birthday until you brought me the cake this year. I don’t think you’re going to have the problem that you think you will.”

Newt leaned up onto his toes and kissed Hermann’s cheek. “I love you too. But that was a week after your birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> for the prompt "Newt suddenly realizes he's in love with Hermann in the middle of an argument and immediately tells Hermann this."


End file.
